Certificate of insurance (school bus)

Definition

Wisconsin's filed proof that one policy covers the bus owner, the operator and the school board.

Why It Matters

Federal rule exempts a home-to-school run from most carrier safety rules, but the commercial license, drug and alcohol testing with its clearinghouse queries, and the phone and texting bans all still apply. The federal money floor skips that run too, so the floor is a state one and it attaches to the VEHICLE, not to the company: no motor vehicle may be used as a school bus unless a policy is maintained on it. Wisconsin sets $75,000 for each person and scales the per-accident limit by seating capacity, from $150,000 at seven seats or fewer to $1,000,000 at thirty-seven or more. The state will not issue plates for a bus without the certificate on file, and revokes registration the day a policy is cancelled. Read the fleet's certificates against the seat counts before pricing an older large bus, because the coverage moves with capacity.